Netflix reality show star dodges jail after smuggling £150k worth of drugs out of Thailand

Olga Bednarska, 27, who had previously appeared on Netflix's Too Hot to Handle was stopped by security officials at Manchester Airport after returning to the UK from Thailand

An influencer who starred in a Netflix reality show star has been caught with £150,000 worth of drugs at Manchester Airport.

Olga Bednarska, 27, was stopped by officials last month after coming to the UK from Thailand and she was found to have nearly 40kg of cannabis concealed within her suitcases.

She had claimed she was asked by a friend called 'Tex' to bring designer clothes and watches back from Thailand and initially said that she had packed her suitcases herself but then later admitted being given them at the airport.

Bednarska, who had previously appeared on Netflix's Too Hot to Handle, pleaded guilty to being concerned in the fraudulent evasion of a prohibition on the importation of a class B drug. She was handed a suspended sentence.

Samuel Eskdale, prosecuting, said that Bednarska arrived at Manchester Airport from Phuket on October 20, with two large suitcases. She was questioned by Border Force officials, and confirmed she had packed the suitcases herself and confirmed that she had not been asked to carry anything for another person.

"She was then asked who paid for her flights and she said her friend named 'Tex'. She said they wanted her to bring back designer clothes and watches," Mr Eskdale said, reported the Manchester Evening News.

"The officers asked her to unlock the suitcases, but she could not provide the code to do so. She then confirmed she had been given the suitcases at the airport." The contents of the suitcases were later searched, and underneath Bednarska's items were a number of vacuum sealed packages of cannabis. The total weight was 39.4 kilograms, and was said to be worth £157,600.

The court heard she had no previous convictions, and had been in custody since her arrest in October. Judge John Potter indicated to the court that he would pass a suspended sentence of imprisonment, and so no mitigation was advanced on Bednarska's behalf.

"I am not going to send you to prison - that will mean you will be released from custody," the judge told a weeping Bednarska. "Over the course of the last few years, you have found yourself in financial difficulties. You have incurred debts to do with work, rent and other household costs. You have simply lived beyond your means."

He said that Bednarska owed up to £16,000 in debts and so resorted to 'desperate but highly unlawful means' to pay it off. As a result, she had lost her 'impeccable' good character, the judge added. "Via a friend of a friend, you agreed to import designer goods from Thailand. You agreed to go and do this and return 10 days later. Your expenses were to be paid by others, and you were to be paid £18,000," Judge Potter explained.

He said she flew to Thailand on October 10 and was met by an 'associate' before checking into a hotel 'free of charge'. She was then given 'spending money' before being given the suitcases for the items to go into. She was asked for items to 'cover up' the goods at which point, she should have had nothing further to do with, the judge said.

"You decided to place your trust in someone you hardly knew. You were acting under the direction of others, potentially for further profit," he added. "I am sure you can imagine the harm that wholesale value drugs have on our communities when they are sold for profit. You have directly contributed to this by agreeing to do what you did."

Bednarska, from, Newcastle, was handed 20 months imprisonment which was suspended for two years. She must also complete 15 days of rehabilitation activity requirements. She had previously appeared on season three of Netflix's Too Hot to Handle. She originally hails from Poland though lives in the UK